A bit of a shambles
Zolder, May 17th
The two days of practice before the Belgian Grand Prix were not only a waste of time, they were farcical. Partly because of rules and regulations and partly because of the weather, but at least it was not due to any fault of the drivers, who were all getting on with the job in spite of the difficulties. This year's "in-thing" is adjustable ride-height in order...

Now that the Grand Prix season has begun in Europe and teams can work from their home bases we should see some interesting strides forwards in the mechanical scene in the paddock. For the first three races everyone was "on tour" leading a gypsy-like existence which made it impossible to do much in the way of serious development. The craze of the moment to develop ways of cheating the "no-skirt"...

A very interesting race
Imola, May 3rd
To fill out the ranks of the Grand Prix races in the European part of the 1981 season the Italians came up with the splendid idea of holding a second event in Italy. As the International rules do not allow this unless the circuits are more than a specified distance apart (to allow two events in the USA) the Automobile Club of San Marino put in a claim for a...

In this day and age of “big money” Grand Prix motor racing, it is difficult to imagine any driver maintaining the same life style after he finished his active participation as he followed before he was involved. Even moderately successful Formula One drivers can earn a reasonable living out of the game and many people quite rightly feel that this desire to sustain a certain standard of living has...

This year's Model Engineer Exhibition will he held at Seymour Hall, London, W1, from January 2nd to 13th. The car models will include a Locomobile Steamer, a 1905 Rolls-Royce, a GP Bugatti, a Mercedes-Benz-type 'bus, and some working miniatures, including Chevrolet Corvette, Blower Bentley, Lotus 49C, Lola T70 and Ferrari.

Merc targets the 911
AMG GT set for UK sales from April | by Andrew Frankel
There will be a few sleepless nights across town in Stuttgart, for Mercedes-Benz has released the first details of the new Mercedes-AMG GT, a car aimed specifically at the iconic Porsche 911 Turbo.
The Mercedes-AMG GT (note the ‘Benz’ has been dropped to make it sound more like the F1 team) is a classically proportioned...

A sense of perspective
The Ferrari conundrum
Farewell to a friend
Back in 1964 three British drivers – Jim Clark, Graham Hill, John Surtees – went to the final Grand Prix, in Mexico, to settle the world championship. In the end the title went to Surtees, after Clark’s Lotus had led all the way until its engine seized on the last lap, and Hill’s BRM had been delayed by a coming-together with...

Rio de Janeiro, March 25th
In sharp contrast to previous years, the Formula 1 "close season" has been very much longer this winter, stretching from Kyalami in mid-October 1983 until the Brazilian Grand Prix opened the 1984 season on March 25th. In the past many teams have spent time moaning that the break is far too short, giving them nowhere near sufficient time to complete development...

Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari flew the flag for Italy with elegant style – and success. How they did it, so rapidly after the ravages of war, is a remarkable tale grounded in politics and passionWriter Richard Williams
Alfa Romeo’s team of cherry-red Tipo 158s took the first three places in the inaugural round of the Formula 1 world championship at Silverstone on May 13, 1950, with Nino Farina...

Maserati targets 911Alfieri to go head to head with Porsche talisman | by Andrew Frankel
Maserati boss Harald Wester has confirmed than its stunning Alfieri concept, revealed at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, will be put into production as a direct rival for the Porsche 911. The two-plus-two coupé will go on sale in 2016, powered by a range of V6 twin-turbo engines. Like the 911, it will be...